You're really beating that draft pick issue into the ground. It's protected if it's in the lottery next year, and then the top-8 the following year. If the Pistons lose the pick either year, it'll hardly be robbery. I think that's a fine price to pay for getting rid of Ben Gordon's outrageous contract.

Ben Gordon has two years left, including a player option that he is virtually guaranteed to exercise.

Maggette's a free agent a year from now. That's not a bad contract to have at all. Whether they make good use of that money a year from now is another question, but having him on the books for one year is fine.

-It gets rid of a guy who not only had a big contract but didn't seem to want to be here. When you're rebuilding, the last thing you want to have is a disgruntled vet around to poison the locker room.

-It opens up room in the rotation. Gordon, when healthy, was eating up a lot of minutes while not really producing. If no one's around to replace his 12.5 ppg, that's fine - they'll be worse and increase their odds of a better draft pick in 2013.

-It gives Dumars a lot more roster flexibility right now. Maggette is a tradeable commodity. Dumars could recoup the pick in a midseason trade, or maybe get some other quality player in return.

-That flexibility might allow Dumars to make the kind of move that gets the fans excited again. They weren't fired up about the prospect of two more years of Ben Gordon. It also gives him a chance to make a positive impression on his new boss, if he can play his cards right.

No offense but there's so much wrong with this post. This isn't football, there are 5 players on the court at one time. One high draft pick can completely turn your franchise around. Pistons have to bottom out before they can succeed at an elite level.

I don't care about being the 7th or 8th seed in the playoffs and being bounced in the 1st round. The worse thing is to be in the middle. You have two solid pieces to build around right now in Knight and Monroe. Get rid of the older, expensive contracts and go young (see: OKC)

Sorry, didn't mean to come off so harsh. My hope is that the Pistons get their last piece high in the draft next year. If all goes to plan the pick Joe D gave up will be a late 1st rounder when it finally is utilized.

For the Pistons, I don't want John Henson cause I think he's a douchebag (on account of he could've played for Duke with his acting skills, among other reasons) but I'm resigned to the idea that he brings what the Pistons need.

My dream scenario of course is that the Pistons draft Mike Scott in the second round. A little undersized for the four and a little slow for the three, so he's probably not a starter in the league, but then again, rangy-shooting big men with a GIMME REBOUNDS mentality have a way of carving out a career.

At least the Pistons are taking steps in the right direction. They were able to get rid of Gordons insane contract, they will cut Charlie V, and Henson is a capable 4. The problem is we still don't have a Center.

I think Monroe would benefit more playing the 4 and having a true center. Which is why the Pistons want Drummond so bad. I definitely agree he is the best player on the team and he also has the most upside on the team.

The target year is not next year. I know Dumars has said they will competitive next year, bt they are at least one year away. Having Megette's contract come off the books next year (or trading for someone worth wile at the deadline this coming year), I don't see them using the amnesty on Charlie V's contract until a year from now.

Drummond may be an offensive project, but his upside is so great and he can still block shot, get garbage minutes, and play defense while he learns. He completements Monroe so well.

And that is Joe Ds problem right there. The quick fix is not going to work. The worst place to be in the NBA is in the middle- you'll never improve. Especially in a place like Detroit where it's difficult to lure free agents.

The pick should be Drummond (high risk/high reward) but JoeD won't have the balls to do it.

Are possible, not that they will be good but because it is the Eastern Conference...we need to tank a season so that we don't keep getting the 8-10 picks every year, we don't want to become the Milwaukee Bucks...

Monroe isn't a rim protector but he's a decent post defender and today's bigs need to be able to space the floor an defend ball screens in space on D. Is kg a center? Is Chris bosh? Cuz they sure as heck played the spot this year. Kendrick Perkins is a "center" and he was the demise is the thunder(part of it) as Scott brooks held on to his lineups too long

Should be a fun trade-related day that's for sure. Will Houston get Dwight? Will he stay? Who else is dealing? What absolutely bone-headed move will happen that we can make fun of for the next 10 years?

But my dream scenario is Drummond drops to te Pistons, my meh scenario is Henson just adding bodies, and my next great Piston draft blunder is your pick of the tall white guys who are called "athletic, for a white guy."

Drummond strikes me as a pro player, and not a college player. He didn't look like himself at UCONN. It seemed like he was trying to fit into a system or play a particular role, rather than just being himself.

As an avid Thunder fan, I'm curious to see if they make any big moves today or not. There have been rumblings about a potential swap for the #3 pick to get Beal, probably sending Harden away... Apparently Sam Presti (Thunder GM) is in love with the kid.

Personally... this idea kinda terrifies me. The Thunder has a chance to win it all next year, and I'm pretty sure Harden>Beal....

I didn't watch Beal very much at all, so I have no opinion of the guy in general, but I know there's a chance they can't afford Harden after this year.

I honestly don't think they'll pull the trigger on Beal, but if they do... that will definitely make the Thunder's chances of getting back to The Finals a lot more difficult.

Harden has some skill set holes but he is a terrific player and his floor spacing/ shot creation combo is so valuable. Beal has maybe a 20% chance to be as good as harden. In a vacuum, presto would be idiotic to do that trade. But we don't know if the owners will pay the luxury tax. This would be a pre-emotive financial move as much as anything. And fwiw if I could only have one I would trade I aka and keep harden

As far as personal fanfare goes, Ibaka is the love of my life. I would never trade him. EVER. My heart flutters every time he blocks a shot and waves his finger back and forth.

(Assuming "I aka" is referring to Ibaka)

Otherwise yes, I understand the Harden move. He has said, however, that he would take less money to stay with the team. I just don't see a reason to break up something (and someone) that has already brought you to The Finals and still has another potentially ten years of progression to look forward to. I have a hard time thinking that Harden won't improve since he's only been in the league three years.

No I'm not lying or exaggerating. I had Anthony as a freshman at Perspectives Charter Schools South Loop Campus (now called the Joslin Campus). He is a good kid, quiet for the most part. That was 5 years ago and I was taller than him back then (and I must say, I guarded him pretty well in the students vs. teachers game, but he wasn't the star we know him as now, but he was a freshmen starter). Now he's like 9 inches taller than me. And all my former colleagues, who still teach there, tell me he's still as good of a kid. And that's he's always coming in to school (even after graduating) to hang out with some of the teachers and last year's seniors.

You'd have a better shot of flipping my political party affiliation or converting my religion to orthodox whatever than convincing me that Greg Monroe is a PF.
The Pistons' needs are starting PF>backup C>future starting SF>backup SG. MKG, Barnes, Drummond, Robinson, Davis, Henson are all players I would love to have.
Like others have said, I'm not too concerned about Henson and his weight. If Marcus Camby would put up the numbers he did last season as a 39 year old listed at 220, then I can't absolutely count anybody out due to lack of bulk or strength.

Camby was also at a smaller college and didn't play alongside three other first rounders when he put up those numbers.
And yes, of course. But in today's NBA it is easier to find a power forward to complement Greg Monroe than a center. There hasn't been anybody selected in the top 10 for three consecutive drafts, including this one, that would clearly justify moving Monroe to the high post and/or take on the assignment of defending face up bigs.

-Meyers Leonard stunk. perhaps he has NBA value but he stunk. I don't see it. He's a slightly better Paul Davis only not as ugly. Well it's close.

-Green is the PF Equivalent of Mateen Cleaves. Great work ethic and enthusiasm and good enough to dominate the B1G, but too small at their position and unskilled to make it in the NBA. He will be considered a bust.

-Buford is a going to thrive in the NBA. I would take him in the lottery

-Sullinger will be around for a cup of coffee until injuries end his career early.

to the Pistons. If his background checks out as well as Dumars thinking that his medical condition isn't a big problem, he has star potential IMO. Long, athletic and can ball. He's the kind of player who would really help the team long-term.

I couldn't care less about the downvotes, but it caves in half of the comments on the page. The points system is absolutely useless, and if you're doing it just to troll people, get that shit out of here and back to mlive. It's childish.

Probably not worth its own thread. Lakers reportedly make qualifying offer to Darrius Morris at $940,000, making him a restricted free agent. He's claimed he wants to look for someplace with more playing time, but that offer gives him some security.

Well, this draft is not exactly going the way most people had predicted. Can't remember seeing Waiters or Kidd-Gilcrist going that high. (I do like the Kidd-Gilcrist pick a lot. He plays hard, defends, and gets to the rim, three of the many things that the Bobcats need).

I'm sorry. I hereby takeback all the anger, all the hate and all the vitriol I've aimed at you over the past two years. After watching the Cavs so called "brain trust" fuck-up two straight fourth picks in the draft I know realize they truly are too stupid to have a player of your quality on the team. The only thing they've managed to not screw up was the Kylie Irving pick and my 7 year old could've gotten that one right.

Anyways will you accept my apology? Let's get together next time you're in town for a couple of cold Great Lakes Brewing drafts and maybe a burger and onion rings from Swensons and let bygones be bygones.

To me he's a boom/bust pick and with the right team, coaches, he can shine. Just don't think the Pistons can do it for Drummond. He has immense potential but has not shown why he is a great prospect at UConn on a consistent basis.

The names associated with Drummond in the Chad Ford/Bill Simmons draft column were... Darko/Kwama/Thabeet and ... Dwight Howard. Ford said, "If he gets with the right team and mentor and dedicates himself to becoming a good NBA player — he could do exactly what Dwight does and start dunking over everyone. Dwight is the only player in the NBA with his physical abilities."

Can the Pistons just go out and sign Hakeem with the mid level exception just to teach him some post moves and how to play hard?

But guys like Henson make them mildly better, and they tread water a bit. Guys like Drummond could be a waste and get Joe fired, but he cold also help them make a bigger leap (in time) even without quite being Howard.

And because I not really remember Lanier playing, it's the first real center I'll see the Pistons have. (No, William Bedford doesn't count).

Laimbeer usually guarded the centers. Mahorn/Edwards were both PFs. Buddha was tall enough to play the 5 but a little soft on D. But that fadeaway was awesome. I had a "Buddha Train" t-shirt back then. (Why did they stop making all those shirts with goofy caricatures?)

He was taller, but against physical low post presence it was often Mahorn. He was way stronger, and Bill was more effective away from the basket. Now, if the PF was more of a threat and the Center stationary, they'd play their proper roles (read: Celtics). And BL certainly did more after Mahorn was taken in expansion.

Fun fact: Apple thinks Laimbeer should be "Laid beer"

And I actually have one of those shirts where they printed Salley and Rodman as white. #racist (Have a bunch of different ones)

I hope this pans out...I feel like the spectrum on him is as wide as anyone in the league. I don't think he'll be Dwight Howard because he has NO offensive game and shoots 29% at the line. However he can be a solid NBA starter...DeAndre Jordan was a solid comparison.

At the same time he could be a lifetime Brendan Haywood which isn't terrible, but not #9 worthy (not sure if there was better that you can identify right now).

Or I could see him in the D-League in 5-6 years.

...this is the pick that will make/break Dumars' career. He could redeem himself or he could be gone.

With that said, I'm not sure there was any other choice unless you went with Henson and rolled with Monroe playing center for the rest of his immediate career.

At #11?? lulz I honestly did not know he was a that highly regarded and I like to think I know a bit about the game of basketball (though my knowledge of things NBA-wise has declined over the years; I don't watch much of the stuff). Can anyone answer for me if Portland has taken a big man since Greg Oden?

I'm not much of an NBA guy, but I'm looking at the draft picks every so often on the mothership website. Houston is getting some quality collegiate players. I'm not sure how they'll all pan out professionally, but d**m. T. Jones, J. Lamb, and the big one Royce White. White has the potential to be a good to very good pro. (Do all of these picks mean Dwight Howard is not going to Houston??)